Scars of Your Love
by Yunnora Lovespell
Summary: A mesh of the Silent Hill games 1 & 2, as well as the movie, and insight into the mysterious past of Pyramid Head. A test of faith, sanity and even love. Reviews are appreciated.


**SILENT HILL**

_Scars of Your Love_

Rose held onto Sharron like a life line, as if the quivering little girl in her arms could magically wish away all the pain and horror. Innocent tears fell into the snow like ash that blanketed the entire town; always falling from the sky. Mother and daughter clung to one another for they were all they had left in this world of sin and suffering. They believed in one way or another that a light would shine through the valley of darkness and salvation would be found. No, they could not escape judgment day, however the light in their hearts and the spirit of faith and virtue would once again surface through turmoil and raise it's mighty shield to protect the good and the innocent. This idea of good triumphing over evil brought hope to them, even as the spine tingling screech of metal on metal echoed through the empty streets. The little girl in Rose's arms squeezed the life out of her mother. She was doing her best to be a big girl. She would be strong for her mother. Her mommy did everything for her and what little good the girl could do was enough for Sharron to believe that they had a fighting chance against this evil. She understood as much as Alessa had allowed her to. A young girl had been taken from her mother in the worst way imaginable and she had sought her revenge, using Sharron as bait to use Rose as a vessel to carry out her vengeance. Her mommy did very good to fallow Alessa's wishes. Alessa had promised no harm would come to her and her mother should Rose do what she was supposed to do. Yes, her mommy could never let her down. She was a good person. She never lied and always helped those who needed it. But now that Alessa had her revenge, why couldn't she and mommy go home? Why was mommy crying so hard? All the bad people in Alessa's life finally went away so why couldn't they go home, instead of hiding and living in filth?

Harry Mason encircled his arm around his daughter, nearly squeezing the breath out of her. He had hoped that all of his love, his hope and fatherly devotion was given to her in just this simple hug. Her face was buried into his chest, catching the tiny sobs that escaped her chapped lips. Never mind that she reeked to high heaven or that her beautiful round eyes had seen far more horror than he ever would have wanted; Cheryl was still his little girl. She was the only piece of heaven in this hellish nightmare. He needed her just as much as she needed him. His body curled over her by instinct, wanting to hide her away from the world. She didn't belong here. She didn't deserve the fate the beings-that-may had given her. Though she was the second half to the evil that haunted him, Cheryl was different. She wasn't evil or corrupted. She was just a child! A life of happiness and good things were waiting for her. But judgment day could not be avoided and the dreams he had once had for his little girl had vanished in the blink of an eye. So here they sat, in each other's arms, awaiting their fate. Cheryl clutched her father's shirt. He was her rock, the anchor in a sea of madness. He would protect her like he always did. Like he had told her so many times before, often when she crawled into his bed during a thunderstorm, it was ok to be scared. It was ok to be frightened of the dark and of the things that bumped in the night. Her papa would always be there. He would protect her. Maybe if she were older, wiser, and perhaps a little stronger, she could help her father fight back the enemy. But the enemy was too strong, even for her papa. Nothing in the world of the norm could ever hold him back. He got what he wanted, when he wanted and was left unquestioned. But this was not the world of the norm. This was Hell on earth. Her papa was strong, but not invincible. The powers-that-be were far greater than him and little Cheryl stood no chance against them. So she fallowed her papa's lead. If he fought them, she did too. If he accepted his fate, then she would too; after all, she was only as strong as her greatest defense against this evil. They wanted it to end fast. There was no where left to run that the monsters did not know about. No more safe havens for them to turn to when the siren rang and the beasts of Alessa's imagination roamed free through the streets of Silent Hill. Quickly and painlessly. That was all they wished for so why torture them further by postponing their judgment? The scraping sound of metal on metal heightened her fears and she sobbed even harder into her father's chest. He remained firm, gripping her tight. He would make them go away. Somehow or another.

James Sunderland and little Laura kept an equal amount of distance from each other. Neither had the guts to face one another. Both their sins weighed heavily on their souls. From both ends of the spectrum judgment was to come. They could escape it no more than they could the dark of night. Their acts of selflessness had come at a hefty price. The strength he had used to smother the light from his beloved wife's eyes, pressed on his shoulders. The air around him was thick and suffocating. He gripped at his chest, his heart pounding in his ears. The world around him was spinning yet he could not faint. He did his best to clear his blurred vision but salty tears stubbornly leaked and streaked his dirt clad face. His wife, his once beautiful and darling bride had died. No, she was murdered. Smothered to death by her husband so she may not suffer agony as she breathed her last breath. The disease had been terrible and brought with it tremendous amounts of pain. It had been a mercy killing. He did it for her. But a killing non the less and little Laura had every right to hate him. He had taken from her the one mother like figure she had ever known. Mary had been an angel in little Laura's eyes. She had been sent to relieve her of her pain, but before she had the chance to fulfill her duties, her wings had been clipped and the little eight year old girl whom had been promised a home and loving family was once again left alone. For that she hated James Sunderland. She loathed him entirely. Her dreams of a house with a white picket fence and a soft warm bed to call her own had been taken from her. Had it been too much to ask for? She sniffled, smearing the grease on her arm across the lower half of her face. She tasted the disgusting liquid on the tip of her tongue and quickly spat it out. If it hadn't had been for James's stupidity, she would be curled in Mary's lap now, reading stories and stealing cookies from the cookie jar, rather than savaging in garbage cans for food and rolling around in filth to survive. Her tiny form quivered as she wrapped her arms around herself. She missed Mary. She hated James, but missed Mary so much more. She quivered when a pair of arms wrapped around her lithe form. Her blood boiled and the bile that had risen to her throat because of it burned like acid in her mouth. But she held still. She did not fight him off. She couldn't bare to face him but accepted his offering of guilt. He blamed himself rightfully so yet did not seek forgiveness or acceptance from her. He just wanted her to know he loved Mary too. Maybe James would have made a wonderful father, and Laura a wonderful daughter, however this was not the case and both husband and child grieved for their loss. The hate she felt towards him drowned her soul further and further into a pit of nothingness. Yes, she still hated him, but she was just as damned as he. The hate had grown to exponential heights that even angels could not bare to look upon her. Mary would be so ashamed of her. Soon judgment would take place. The suffering and torment they some how survived would come upon then ten fold. They deserved every bit of it. They both hurt Mary.

The six of them were scattered on the lawn of the church. Sharron was sitting on Rose's lap, her eyes peering emotionally up at the barren branches of a tree. Not far from them, Cheryl's father had propped himself up on a tombstone, his daughter lying sleepily in his arms as his rough and callused fingers did their best to comfort her. James and Laura had just appeared on the scene. Each of them were pale and starved. There was no doubt that nightmares would come to haunt them once this was all over, that is, if it ever ended.

"Sharron...?"

Laura had taken a moment to draw back from her weeping to see Sharron had approached her. She too was young and saw many of the horrors she had. The other girl knelt beside her on the ground, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"There's no need to cry. Everything will be alright."

Laura sniffled, doing her best to rub the tears from her face. She recognized the girl very well, yet she knew it could not be Alessa. Nor was the other girl, whom was peering at them suspiciously from the other side of the cemetery. "No...they...wont." She whined. "Mary...is dead... I'm just like...Alessa!" She sobbed, turning back to weep in James's chest. The man held her gently, allowing the girl's tears to rain down on him. His eyes filled with nothingness looked up at Sharron pleadingly. He didn't know how to make the girl stop crying. Sharron however didn't need his approval to continue.

"My name is Sharron." Sharron said softly.

"...I'm Laura." the weeping girl muffled form James's shirt.

"Laura, would you like to me my mommy?"

The word mommy caused the crying child's heard to constrict. She shook her head.

"Its ok. She wont hurt you. My mommy is a good person."

Harry Mason watched with subtle interest as one little girl tried to coax out of crying. It was a kind gesture on Sharron's part yet it seemed almost futile. Laura was much too sad to want to do anything. Most likely it was how she was probably going to die; wailing in a stranger's arms and wishing her life had gone another way. Cheryl on the other hand seemed much more interested in the exchange. When the girl with the mother had approached the girl and the stranger, she had almost felt a moment of nostalgia. It was just like that time when she started her first day of school. A pretty little red head had approached a little boy who had been crying for his mommy at the school gate. When every attempt the red head tried, to get the little boy to play with her, failed, Cheryl had stepped in to help. In no time at all the little boy was all smiles and laughter.

She had ignored her father's protests and stood to walk towards them. She limped a bit, her legs like gelatin from having to outrun one of those horrid monsters that looked like a rabid dog. Laura and Sharron turned to see Cheryl slowly making her way towards them. Some how she knew she had to be there, standing beside the two. As odd as it seemed to her father, it made perfect sense to his daughter. She just HAD to be there.

"Hi. I'm Sharron." The smiling girl said.

"He...hello." it was hard to believe a child her age would be smiling in a place like this. Cheryl blushed softly beneath the dirt and grime on her face and kicked the dirt at her feet. Even after everything she had been through, she was still shy as ever.

"I'm…I'm Ch...Cheryl." She said softly.

"This is Laura." Sharron said still grinning. "Would you like to meet my mommy too?"

It took several minutes for her to comprehend the question. "Meet...your mommy?"

Sharron nodded. "Yes. Mommy is very nice. I want Laura to meet her too."

Cheryl glanced over in Rose's direction, eyeing her suspiciously. The woman had not moved from her spot beneath the wilted tree but watched them like a hawk. Just like a good mother would.

With a nod she let Sharron lead her over to the wilted tree. Rose, upon further inspection, was far worse off than any of them. Dark circled under her eyes spoke many nights without sleep. She fought to put on a smile for her them but just didn't have the strength to get back up on her feet. Silent Hill had taken so much out of her and it did not help that Alessa had used her for her cruel punishment against those whom had wronged the little demon girl.

Rose was fighting off her exhaustion and held out her hand. "I'm Rose, Sharron's mother." She said softly. "Is the man you are with your dad?" She nodded and Rose smiled.

Cheryl then limped her way back to Laura whom had resumed her constant crying. She placed a hand on Laura's shoulder and nodded her head. If she didn't believe one person, maybe two could convince her.

"Rose is very nice." She said. Laura lifted her teary gaze up at Cheryl then over at Rose. The look in her eyes said she wanted to go. Cheryl held out her hand to her. "Come on she really wants to meet you."

James did nothing to stop the girl from taking Laura with her. There was nothing he could do to console the child. He unwrapped his arms from around her, earning a nasty glare from Laura. He only grinned. "Go on. Go say hi." Go say hi until justice is brought to us. Find just a little bit of happiness before there no longer is any.

Silently Laura went with Cheryl. The two nine year old girls who had approached her did not seem like a threat, yet she was much too sad to release her hold on James. He was, after all, all she had left in this world. It took more courage than she knew she had to release her hold on him and go with Cheryl. Again Rose forced a smile.

She had to be brave, because her child was. Like a house of cards they kept each other standing strong. Neither could afford to loose their faith in this situation, especially when the eyes of other sought what they believed in, whether they believed it ceased to exist or not. When the girl named Cheryl approached with the girl named Laura, Rose could have sworn the two could have been born twins. Though neither of them shared hair or eye color, the shapes of their faces and the adorable way their little lips pouted was enough for her to call them sisters. Laura, the smallest, was the first to speak.

"My...my name is Laura..." She sniffled, her chest rising and falling erratically. The poor thing was about to start crying again. "I'm sorry...I'm so sad!" Rose held out her arms to the girl and she willingly fell into them. Cheryl was slightly perturbed by this but Sharron could only smile. Rose cooed softly, running her fingers through Laura's greasy hair. "Shh, shh. Its ok sweetie. Everything will be ok."

Everything will be ok. Tch, was the woman delusional or what? Harry could not believe the drabble that was coming out of Rose's mouth. Nothing was going to be ok. Judgment was just moments away. Whether they went to heaven or hell was all up to the powers-that-be. He did however give the woman credit. No child her age should ever have to suffer as he or any of the others had. The least the woman could do was give the little girl just one little bit of hope. It was nothing compared to their impending doom, yet just enough to get her to stop crying.

Laura buried her face into Rose's bosom, reveling in the feel of a mother's embrace. Even if it were not Mary, it was enough. Mary wouldn't have liked to see her crying like this. She sniffled and cracked a tiny smile. Her face was completely tear stained but it really didn't matter. She was smiling. She turned to face the other girls and nervously placed her hand into Sharron's. Cheryl by instinct took hold of Laura's other hand.

The three girls held each other's hands, glancing from one to the other. A moment of silence was shared by the three stunned adults as they watched their children meet, greet, and trust one another. Only the innocents of a child could achieve such a feat. Through the horror, the blood shed, the tears and sheer insanity of Silent Hill, three children had somehow found a way to bring a smile to each other's faces. They found hope. They found each other.

A light had begun to form between the girls. The light was bright, near blinding, yet warm and inviting. It started out as a small flicker from Sharron's chest. Just above where her heart lay, everyone watched as a beam of light shot out from her and up into the sky. The light pieced through the grey and the smoke of the ash filled air, making its way up high into the heavens.

"Sharron!" Rose leaped to her feet and had been about to grab her until she saw a matching beam of light shooting up just as suddenly from Cheryl's chest.

"Cheryl! No, Cheryl!" Harry did the same as Rose and froze in shock as a third beam of light appeared, this time from Laura.

James's eyes widened in absolute horror. None of them knew what was happening. Neither adult could explain to him this strange phenomenon. Cheryl, Laura and Sharron's head were thrown back, eyes half lidded and looking as peaceful as ever. As if Silent Hill had never existed. As if Alessa and her hatred had never been born.

The light that sprang between the three collided in the middle. A force unseen suddenly rammed into Harry, James and Rose. A brutal wind whipped through the cemetery, making its way through the empty streets. Windows exploded and old wooden doors burst into splinters. The few inches of ash that covered the streets and builds had been blown away.

"Sharron!" Rose screamed above the roar of the wind, slamming right into Harry who quickly held out his arm to catch her. James was in front of him, gripping the back of Harry's shirt as he clung like mad to an upturned root. The wind beat on them hard and James's grip ahd begun to slip. He bit his nails into the root and gnashed his teeth. His arm was going numb and in just a few more seconds they would be swept away with the wind and into the impending darkness of the town.

Storm clouds had gathered, turning the dim light of the grey sky black. Thunder roared with majesty. Lightening whipped and cracked against the darkened sky. Rain had begun to pelt on them. James held on for dear life. Harry was able to reach one arm above him and gripped onto the head of the tomb stone. He pulled Rose between them as she fearfully reached to grab the stone. When she did, she clutched onto it like a life line.

"Sharron! SHARRON!" Her voice was quickly carried away with the wind. She forced her eyes to comply as she peered over the tombstone to see her daughter and the other two girls still standing there. Their hair flew in all directions but other than that they remained perfectly still, standing where they had been just minutes ago. Nothing much had changed, except for the sky above them. For once it had opened, actual white clouds dancing around and around, pushing back the very essence of evil that was Silent Hill. Something good, something pure, had presented itself. Rose could have cried with joy. Her prayers had been answered. She knew all along good would triumph over all.

Just as quickly as the wind had come, it died away. Rose peeked over the stone and watched her daughter. One by one, each of the girls began to open their eyes. They too were filled with the blinding light. When their jaws dropped open to reveal three more streams of light, all went silent.

For the longest time nothing happened.

Then the siren rang,

"Cheryl!"

"Harry come on we have to go!" Rose hissed, struggling to hold the panicked man back from running back out into the open.

Just as soon as the siren rang, the evil had begun to stir. The putrid odor of rotting flesh quickly filled the air. The paint on the buildings surrounding them peeled back to reveal rotting planks and chunks of bloody something, clinging to rusted orange wires. Nightmarish sounds echoed through the streets, filling Rose with that familiar feeling of helpless terror. Silent Hill was awakening and hell was about to be unleashed.

"No! I can't leave her behind!" Harry argued, trying to shove the woman off of him. He had to get to his little girl. He had been stuck in a stupor when the siren had rang and hadn't noticed anything around him until he was shoved into a wall, crouching beneath a dirtied matrice propped up against the wall. The stench of the garbage can next to him caused him to gag and brought him back to earth.

"Oh my god its starting!" James hollered, grabbing onto Harry's arm in attempt to keep him from giving away their hiding place. After all, there was no where else to hide. Every room in every build was crawling with creatures. Soon enough they would be found and James just wasn't ready. "There's nothing we can do-"

"You coward..." Harry glared at James, easily shoving the smaller man off of him and pounding his fist into the ground. "You may not love your children, but damnit I do! Cheryl is the only thing in this fucked up world that I have left. I have to get to her before the monsters do!"

Rose and James wouldn't dare relinquish their hold on him. They tackled him to the ground, covering his mouth to silence him. "Please, listen to me!" Rose hissed into Harry's ear. "They will be ok."

He shot her a glare that spoke his absolute hate towards her and her words.

"Cheryl will be ok I promise."

He narrowed his eyes as tears of helplessness began to fall. But how? She was just a child.

Rose pressed her forehead to his, her lips quivering as she spoke. "Trust me. I know its hard. But just this once. Please..."

Harry choked on his tears. Could he trust her? He wanted to trust her, yet nothing of the endless hours of living in this nightmare could merit that. His little girl was out there, amongst the monsters. They would tear her to pieces. Her small bloody carcass would be thrown aside, a limb here and there gnawed away as she bled to death. And there was nothing he could do. Even if he went to her now, he would only succeed and in the death of not only his daughter, but himself.

A grotesque gurgling sound could be heard from just beyond the matrice. Everyone froze.

No one dared to breath, much less move. James's grip on Harry tightened as the unknown creature just outside their make shift hiding spot sauntered about. It howled and shrieked, the disturbing sounds echoing in their sensitive ears. Rose closed her eyes and prayed. They were in the Devil's playground and his beasts of terror were ready to play.

It seemed like an eternity passed before the creature sluggishly dragged itself away, its acid like saliva dripping and eating away at the cement sidewalk. From where the three lay, crouching atop of one another, they watched through their triangular window as the beast began to reveal itself. James could not hold back the bile that rose. Rose slapped her hand over her mouth, forcing herself to breath. Harry just watched on in disgust.

The beast was at least seven feet tall. Patches of its grimy pale skin blistering and festering with boils. Puss leaked from its open wounds, a long slimy tongue protruding from a large round orifice at the crown of its bulbous head. Razor sharp teeth rimmed the opening of its supposed mouth. It had been once soaked in blood, now caked with dirt and grime. It had no arms but three deformed legs which it crawled on. Its obscenely large mouth reeked the most rancid smell they had ever had the misfortune of smelling. Rose nearly sick-upped what little food she had stored in her belly, and it took all her will to keep it down. Meals were scarce in Silent Hill so whatever little scraps she could find that were not rotted through and covered in bugs, she would take. She wouldn't dare tell Sharron where she got her food. The little girl needed to eat and there was just no time to argue about it. Every second counted in this man-made hell hole and they needed their strength if they had ever hoped of surviving.

It reared its ugly head this way and that. From his position on the ground Harry could not discern if it had eyes or any small appendages that looked like ears. It just somehow could sense life nearby. It didn't look to smart, just your average, brainless, flesh eating fiend. It didn't seem to notice the adults or their hiding space and continued on its blood thirsty quest. Harry's eyes darted to where Cheryl and the other girls still stood. The light from their eyes had not dimmed, nor did the sky above them refuse to give into the storm that brewed. Through the opening rimmed by white clouds, he saw blue. For the first in a very long time he saw the true color of the sky. His lip quivered. Oh how much he missed the simple things in life, such as the sky. He missed watching the puffy blots of white lazily trek across the vast blue expansion of space. He missed how it reflected so radiantly off the surface of the ocean, and the warm breeze it carried during a hot summer day. Now it all seemed like a far away dream, just a silly trick of the mind. Had the sky ever been blue before? Was there ever such a thing a warm breeze or even an ocean?

Silent Hill played the perfect mind fuck.

It toyed with your emotions, rotting your mind from the inside out until nothing was left but insanity. Logic did not exist here. Only death and suffering. Hell had no logic. Neither did revenge.

A tiny voice in the back of their minds whispered this so. It was soft, child like, and ended with a giggle. As quickly as it came, it faded away. It receded into the farthest parts of their mind, making them wonder if they had ever truly heard it to begin with.

James grabbed his head, pounding it down on the cement.

The voice was still there, he knew it. It whispered, taunting him reverently. It spoke of unspeakable horrors that awaited him when death would finally come to claim him. He couldn't handle it; the pictures in his head; Headless bodies impaled on jagged stakes that shot up through the floor. Corroded barbed wires dancing and lashing, ripping a terrified woman in two before snaking its way down a man's throat and exiting through its stomach. The contents of his stomach as well as bone and organs burst out of the man and dangled down from the now lifeless corpse.

Oh God make it stop! Make it STOP!

A hand touched his and James was snapped out of his stupor.

Rose had her fingers entwined his with, gripping him tightly, acting as his anchor to...well, whatever you wanted to call this world. The strength in which she held his hand told him she could hear it too. She fought off the voice and so could he. And so he did.

Harry's breath was ragged. It was easy to ignore that annoying voice that told him all was lost. All he could see was Cheryl. Her frail being was standing lucidly among the swarm of creatures. From the shadows a horde had appeared, each more grotesque and frightening than the other. He recognized some as the mannequins and nurses. The rest, he thanked to the powers-that-be, that he had not come face to face with. They had begun to circle around the children, approaching slowly, howling into the air, then stopping completely.

Harry, James and Rose watched on in confusion.

Never had the monsters done this before. Always they sought out life forms and killed them in the most unimaginable way; yet there they stood, surrounding Cheryl, Laura and Sharron. Not a twitchy limb moved in their direction. They just stood there, howling and screeching in what one could guess as agony. Why did they not attack the children? Did it have something to do with the light they emanated from their bodies? But if it were the light, wouldn't they have already made their attack? But the light was pure, not artificial. Rose knew they were attracted to light, but could it be that they were...afraid to approach natural light? It had to be.

It just had to be.

Tension hung heavily in the air.

Nothing moved. Not even the nurses.

Rose held her breath and prayed. She prayed for hope. She prayed for salvation. She prayed for her daughter.

Cheryl, Laura and Sharron lifted their heads to face one another. They stayed like this for a very long time. Minutes turned to hours and the hours seemed like days. Still nothing moved. It was as if they were petrified. It had something to do with that light.

"Lord God, hear my prayer..." Rose mumbled over and over. She held tight the locket in her hand, occasionally opening it to gaze lovingly at her daughter's picture. "Watch over my little girl."

The screech of metal on metal was the last thing they ever wanted to hear. During the commotion it had been drowned out by the vicious howls and gurgles of the monsters, but now it rang louder than ever. Sweat trickled down James's spine. He was shaking all over.

From the opening in the sky, a flow of white ribbons revealed themselves. They swam through the air, falling ever so elegantly to the ashen grounds of Silent Hill. Harry, James and Rose could not stray their eyes. One by one the bodies of their beloved children began to disappear. They rose in a puff of clear smoke, mixing and separating. Laughter could be heard as the spirit of each child made their way into the sky, passing the falling strands of ribbon and through the ring of clouds that opened this world to the next.

"NO!"

James's cry spoke the shock and fear of their departed children. Through Laura had not been his daughter, the little girl had been all he had left of Mary. She had loved Laura like a child and James believed, that with time, he too could learn to love her. But as he watched the cloud of smoke just disappear before his very eyes, his soul despaired. The flood gates opened and the man was in a shamble of tears. "Oh Laura!"

Harry squeezed James's shoulder, more for his own sake than the weeping man's. Whatever power had possessed Cheryl, he and Rose believed, had had a purpose for her.

Both Sharron and Cheryl, as well as Laura, had a part to play in this game of good and evil. Now that each piece was in place, it was time to reveal their most ultimate weapon within this... resurrection of sorts. One could almost call it a sacrifice. The spirit of three little girls was replaced by a being so pure, so eloquent in design, it brought tears to the remaining three. A warmth engulfed them like fire, wrapping securely around their hearts and filling them with what they had lost so long ago. Hope.

The ribbons continued to fall until they reached a foot from the ground. They began to curl, as if wrapping around something. Then, within moments of the children's departure to the other world, a figure shimmered into view. At first it glowed, its shape unknown until its near blinding light faded away to reveal the figure of a woman. She was dressed in garments of white, long yellow hair falling from her head and framing her heart shaped face. Her eyes were the color of embers, glistening with innocence. A halo of beads had been placed on her head, bracelets of gold and silver adorned her arms and ankles, while on her hip rested the hilt of a golden and bejeweled sword. From behind they could make out a pair of feathered wings. They, like her porcelain skin, glowed in the presence of the light from above. Her smile, oh her beautiful smile, enforced their feeling of hope.

Rose gasped, gripping at the locket around her neck. It was an angel.

She was beyond captivating. Rose felt like she could stare at this heavenly creature for days and never turn her gaze away. She didn't want to, even as she sent a silent prayer to her God. The Lord had brought them, their salvation. This was the weapon, the hope she and Sharron had been waiting for. She knew. She just knew salvation would come!

The angel turned and held out her hand towards Rose. The woman could do nothing but fallow the silent command.

Form their hiding spot Rose lifted herself out into the open and slowly began to approach. She did not fear the monsters around her. Something told her not to. They would not harm her. As if entranced by this lovely creature, Rose trekked through the mob of flesh eating and poison spitting beasts and made her silent way to the angel. James and Harry could only watch in awe.

"You have done well Rose." The voice of the angel rang melodiously in their ears. "For your faith in your God, He has deemed you worthy and has prepared a place for you in His kingdom."

She was hesitant. What of her little girl?

As if reading her mind, the angel answered. "She awaits you there."

Rose gasped at the silky touch of the angel's hand. Her grip was firm, yet gentle; above all, safe. Then in the blink of an eye she disappeared in a flash of yellow light. The angel then turned towards the men and held out her arm once more. Another silent command.

James was the one to respond. His tear and dirt stained face limped in her direction. Every muscle and every done in his body ached. All he wanted to do was rest. He lowered his gaze to the ground. Finally his judgment was at hand. Soon, he would be writhing in agony in the deepest pits of Hell. And he hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to Laura.

"James, you have fought bravely and true. Though you have committed a crime, punishable by eternal damnation, your God has seen the truth inside your heart." she smiled. "You may rest now James. Remember, it is only at one's lowest that God reveals Himself." She tilted his chin and looked upon him with loving grace.

James's eyes were wide with shock. God...was saving him? But what of his sins? They weighed so heavily on his soul...

The angel chuckled. "It is through your sorrow and sacrifices for saving and loving Laura that He has deemed you as worth as a holy. Come, they await you on the other side."

They? James felt his heart pounding like mad in his chest. Mary...Laura...

In another flash of light, he too had disappeared from this world. Harry was the only one left, yet she did not hold out her hand to him. Instead she lifted her chin, determination suddenly filling her ember colored eyes as the light around her flickered. It whipped and clashed like lightening as the darkness of Silent Hill began to stir once more. The once stilled and silent creatures began to move, howling and screeching like never before, clamoring about each other in a futile attempt to escape. The light the angel radiated zapped through them, exploding through each disfigured body in a combustion of smoke and fire. She paid them no attention.

Harry was confused. If the monsters were not her opponent...

Screeech. Screeeeech.

His confusion was quickly replaced by fear.

...Then who was?

From within the deep fog, that filled the city as if it was a life form of its own. Came a most terrifying sound, of metal grinding against concrete. With each moment it drew nearer and nearer, until stopping

just out of sight. One of the disfigured nurses comes staggering out of the fog, slowly starting to lurch towards Harry. Before it was more then a few steps out of the fog, the sounds of metal on concrete

could be heard again. As pyramid head could be seen stepping out of the fog, dragging his huge blood soaked sword. The disfigured nurse was in his path, when he was close enough. He pulled his empty hand back, backhanding the nurse fiercely. Literally blowing it in half with his inhuman strength, blood, bones and internal organs spraying about. Some of the blood and guts even spray onto Harry, as pyramid

head continues forward with a ruthless clarity.

Harry was filled with terror, cowering as far back against the wall as he could. The very essence of Harry's guilt, frustrations and anger stood in all its human like glory. He eyed the great knife, catching sight of both old and new blood coating the blade. He didn't move, not even after being sprayed with the innards of the nurse. Instead he turned his worried gaze towards the angel. She stood proud and fearless, her ember eyes locking onto that of Pyramid Head. Finally it clicked and Harry shook his head in disbelief.

How could this holy woman ever hold her own against the demon of Alessa's imaginary Hell? Surely she couldn't stand a chance against him. He nor Rose or Harry could defeat him! He was unstoppable.

She, by the way her eyes danced with determination, saw otherwise. She gripped the handle of her sword and spoke. A look of sadness enveloped her, her eyes dimming and a forced smile making its way on her lips.

"Hello my love."

Pyramid Head looked at her, at least that is what one would assume, as his head was angled towards her. He swung his huge sword up onto his shoulder with ease, starting to walk towards her. After a few steps,

he suddenly charges at her.

Unsheathing her sword, she raises it high above her head, rods of lightening surrounding the blade. The wind carried her scent of vanilla, deodorizing the foul stench of death that surrounded them. Then, with one graceful swoop, the blade came crashing down to the ground. The lightening whipped off the sword and flew at Pyramid Head, cutting down the creatures in its way and giving a thunderous roar.

Pyramid Head stopped and slammed his blade into the ground, causing the ground to upheaval greatly. Making a barrier against her attack.

Using the upheaval to her advantage she shot towards him, leaping between the rocks and rubble. She landed on the head of a tomb stone before leaping into the air and raising her sword to strike him down from above.

He swung his sword hard, cutting into the ground. Swinging his sword up, clashing his blade against her blade.

Sparks flew as the two swords clashed. She held herself in the air, her wings flapping irritably as she struggled to put down his inhuman strength with her own. Her eyes were filled with sadness. "What evil has posses you so, to fallow the order of a child bent on her own selfish and vengeful desires?"

His empty hand shoots up suddenly, grabbing onto the wrist of the hand holding her sword. Pulling her down hard, slamming her to the ground. Holding her down with one of his feet, raising his sword up high.

But not bringing it down, as he looked down at her.

She looked up at him, her yellow hair haloing her face and figure as it fell down after her. She did not flinch when he raised his great knife, nor did she scream as Harry had half expected her to. Instead she spoke. "You are wracked with guilt." She reached a hand to his ankle and to Harry's utter shock, caressed it.

What was she thinking? The beast was about to kill her and she wanted to comfort it? She was supposed to kill it! When she made no other move he panicked. He quickly sought out a weapon. Not far from him was a bent lead pipe. He made a grab for it slowly stalked Pyramid Head from behind.

He uttered a low growl as he continued to look down at her, holding his blade high still. Just before Harry could get close enough to swing his weapon, Pyramid Head spun suddenly and thrust his weapon at Harry. The blade narrowly missing Harry's head, however the edge of his sword was resting against his neck. The smell of the blood on his sword was almost overwhelming.

Harry cried out, clutching his hand to this throat as he stumbled back and away. The pipe fell and rolled away uselessly. He fell backwards onto the ground and stared pale faced and shaking at Pyramid head. Why the beast had not taken his head was beyond him. It had the perfect opportunity.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and didn't dare tear his gaze away from Pyramid Head. Instead, Harry forced his shaking limbs to upright themselves and cautiously dragged himself further back and away, blood trickling between his fingers. He wouldn't bleed to death but the sight of his own blood would make the man faint, and fainting at the point was just not an option.

The angel beneath Pyramid Head's foot had no sudden reaction. Every move she made was slow and graceful. She gripped his ankle and slowly began to remove it from her person.

Pyramid Head looked back down at the Angel, he stuck his blade into the ground. Moving his foot off her, he reaches down and grabs onto the collar of her clothing. Lifting her up, holding her off the ground.

She touched his wrist with her hand while reaching the other out and grazing over the cold metal of his helmet. "That incident... It happened so long ago. Why hold onto your grief?" Her wings raised offensively and fluttered once, twice, then three times. A veil of feathers rained down on him as the sword on the ground began to shake of its own accord. "You belong with me in the 'other world'." She said softly. "You dwell in this realm, your guilt holding you back from what you so dearly desire. Or is it your desire that keeps you held back?

He tilts his head some, holding onto her. He then reaches over, grabbing onto the handle of his blade. Then started to walk back towards the fog, carrying her.

"NO!"

Her scream had been so familiar in his ears. It was the exact same way she had screamed at him back then, when 'the' incident took place.

The sword that clattered on the ground rose from the ground and flew into her hand. She swung it hard against his helmet. A slight scratch could be seen in the metal but nothing else.

Pyramid Head stopped and looked at her, he uttered a low growling sound again.

She gripped his wrist, a white light beaming from her finger tips. Lightening shot through his arm, forcing him to drop her. She landed on her feet and kicked him hard in the chest, throwing him back.

"You allow your guilt to override your senses. You channel this child's wrath through your own work and punish the sinful, however you punish yourself by wallowing in your grief." She holds her sword out, pointing it as him. "The time has come, little dove, for you let go of your pain and accept the fact that what was done was done." Her ember eyes sparkled with resolve. Her gold hair danced about her as she began to rise into the air, her wings flapping once, as if no longer bound by the laws of gravity.

Harry watched, astounded by this angel's deceleration. So her purpose had not been to save them, it had been to save the Great Knife wielder. Without him, Alessa was left without her greatest weapon. Without Pyramid Head, the little brat could finally be defeated!

"I think not."

A child's voice, laced with hidden malice, rang from the mist. Harry recognized the voice and turned to stone the moment he laid eyes on the source of the voice.

A young girl, perhaps eight or nine revealed herself from the thick white fog. Her long black hair fell over her face, hiding her beautiful, yet terrifying, blue eyes. Her school girl uniform was ripped and soiled, clinging to lithe and fragile body. Harry knew better than to mistaken this demon-child for anything but evil. Her blue orbs were filled with indescribable hate. The hate she felt inside had manifested deep within her subconscious that her hellish-imaginary world had been brought to life. Rusted barbed wires began to spring from the earth in a protective ring around her as she approached Pyramid Head, standing by her servant's side.

"Don't you see he doesn't want to go?" She said, sounding as innocent as possible. "He wants to stay. He hurt someone very special to him a long time ago. He was a very bad boy." she said, smiling wickedly as she spoke.

The Angel, un-phased by this new arrival, turned her fierce gaze on the child, yet kept her sword directed at Pyramid Head.

"Child, like the others you have made suffer in your lust for revenge, you too shall suffer. It is time to face the sins you have committed. Let go of your hate. Both of you. It is time to move on."

Pyramid Head stood defensively in front of the girl, as blood red demonic energy swirled around the blade of the weapon in his hand. He raised it above his head, bringing it down hard, stabbing it into the ground. The energy traveled through the ground, its place shown from cracks appearing in the concrete. When it got to the spot beneath the angel, red hot chains shot up out of the ground, flying up at the Angel

As the angel leaped back from the attack, one of the chains encircled her leg and viciously pulled her back to the ground. The impacts send ash and rubble flying in all directions, forcing Harry to duck behind an abandoned car. He peeked over the hood and gasped at the sight he saw.

The angel was on the ground writhing in agony. She screamed as the chains burned her skin. Again a memory infiltrated Pyramid Head's mind, stinging the back of his eyes with an unbearable pain. It was her, yes the angel. She was on the ground at his feet, just as she was now. Tears were in her eyes. She was hurt...by him. He had hut her.

Alessa laughed, unaware of her greatest weapon's ties to the woman.

"See? He doesn't want to go. He likes it here. He doesn't have to remember pain in my world. To pay for HIS sins, he makes others face theirs." She lifted her hand, her collection of barbed wires snaking towards the angel, rising high above her before striking. "Now its time to pay for YOUR sins!" However, just as the wire had been about to pierce her heart, it crumbled away into dust. Alessa's eyes widened before narrowing in anger.

"I see. You are pure, therefore I cannot touch you." She turned her gaze on Pyramid head. "Only you can touch her. I wonder why... but it does not matter to me." She turned away and started to head back into the mist. "Do what you want with her. I have no use for the untainted."

The angel, breathing heavily, struggled to her upright herself, unable to move her leg. She grit her teeth and reached for her fallen sword. She hacked through the chain and kicked off into the air with her good leg. She grit her teeth, knowing she no longer could stand on her injured leg and kept to the air.

"Alessa, you evil child, release him!" She pointed her sword at Alessa, lightening stemming out to strike the girl down.

"NO! He's mine! He's all mine! You can't have him!" She screamed, a black trendil from the shadows lashing out in retaliation. The powers clashed in the middle, neither gaining over the other.

Harry could do nothing more than watch. His fate rested in the hands of that injured winged woman, and her victory meant his salvation.

Pyramid Head silently watched the two of them for several minutes, going over that last vision in his mind. When he finally started to move again, he moved in and swung his blade hard. Dispelling both

their attacks, then motioning to the girl to leave. As he takes up a stance between the angel and her, holding his weapon out at the angel

Alessa glowered hatefully at the Angel but held back anyway. With each step she took back into the thickening fog her bloodied and disfigured creatures went with her, departing from the scene and leaving both the fallen angel and his counter part to finish the battle.

The Angel and Harry soon realized the girl was no longer going to attack, though her sudden departure was rather unnerving. Alessa was, in Harry's opinion, a frightening foe though he had only seen her face one or twice before. At least with Pyramid Head he knew just how to defend himself long enough to run away. But the angel could not do that so easily. Even if she could run and hide, even if she had full use of her injured leg, he doubted she would. She was far too determined to save this wretched...man... than her own hide.

"Your act of selflessness will get you nowhere Angel." Alessa said as she disappeared into the fog. "It never got you anywhere in life."

The angel narrowed her eyes on Pyramid Head and raised her sword for another strike. "Dove, why do you cling to hopelessly to your guilt?"

He stabs his blade into the ground again, chains coil up from under the concrete. Slowly wrapping around his legs, then his waist and torso, before finally wrapping around his arms. But instead of stopping, they continued out until giving him two, long chain whips. When they finally stopped growing out, the section of chain that was the whip, sprouted deadly looking barbs.

The angel charged him from the air, thrusting her sword forward.

He took a step back, then struck out with one of the whips. It wraps around the blade of her sword, pulling on it hard. Ripping it out of her hand, before striking out with the other whip.

She dodged the oncoming chain, but not before it tore through a section of her wings. She fell hard, the impact crushing the concrete beneath her. Her arms shook as she pushed herself into half a sitting position. Her eyes were filled with sadness, making Harry's heart want to jump from his chest. He hadn't actually noticed until now that she was actually quiet frail. Her body was small, thin, not cut out for the exertions she was putting it through. The apple red injury on her ankle looked terribly painful, but she played the pain off expertly. As if the hurt in her eyes burned ten times worse than the injury.

"You were there when they tried to take me away..." She started softly, barely a whisper. "But you ran away when I needed you most." She stared into the darkness of his helmet. "So I have sought you out."

Harry began to wonder, what had happened to this angel? Did something happen between her and Pyramid Head?

He walked towards her slowly, the chains drag along behind him. Cutting into the concrete, when he gets to her, he looks down at her and raises his one arm.

She reached out and tentatively touches his pyramid like helmet. Instantly memories of soft hands and warm smiles infiltrate his mind.

There she was again, in a far off and long forgotten memory; she was lying before as she was, smiling brightly and reaching out to touch his face. The feel of her hand wasn't like any other. Only she could make his heart flutter as it did, threatening to pounce out of his chest. Her sweet scent filled his nostrils and he knew he just couldn't get enough.

They were talk about something important. He was upset. No, terrified. She only smiled and played it off like a joke. She did not understand the direness of the situation. Instead she made love to him. She made him forget his concerns.

The angel ran her fingers delicately over the rusted metal. She fingered the very tip before snaking them upwards to the wired area. If one peered hard enough, they could see a pair of demon glazing eyes. She looked into them and smiled that familiar grin.

"Do you remember? Do you remember when they took me away?" She asked softly. "Do you remember when my mother found us after running away together? You two fought over the gun..."

As the memories flashed through his mind, he slowly lowered his arm. The chain whips disconnect from his arms, he then reaches down and picks her up, looking at her.

The angel looked at him, her arm still out stretched and caressing the metal of his grotesque mask. "She was insane. She tried to kill us, thinking us the spawn of the devil." She reached her other hand, touching the tip of her fingers just above where his heart lay.

"She tried to take me away from you and you fought with your life to keep me safe. It wasn't you fault. It just happened." She said softly.

He then tossed her over his shoulder, carrying her up into the church. Looking over slightly at Harry, as he walked past him into the church. Once inside he lays her down on one of the pews inside.

"The scars of your love...remind me of what we used to be."

She nearly screams from the pain as her leg is jarred, bumping her ankle against the leg of the pew. Her wings fell, no longer having the energy to hold them up. She looks up at him, tears filling her eyes.

"We could have had it all..."

Pyramid head kneels down next to her, the chains dissolving from around his body.

She smiles. "You're still there. You're the same boy I knew so long ago. You just...hide. You behind your mask of guilt." She does her best to lift her upper body and reached to his chest. She presses her soft warm hands to the cold built of his body, snaking them upwards.

"There is nothing you have to hide from me." She said softly. "Not anymore. I know the truth." Her shaking fingers touched the underside of his helmet, seeking away to take the damned contraption off.

She could find no seams on the helmet, almost as if it was a part of

him. He reached up and took hold of her hands.

The his hands in hers felt clammy and cold. She frowned.

"You've allowed your guilt to seize your very identity..." She squeezed his hands.

He tilted his head some.

"Don't you remember love? When we were younger?" She asked, another memory filling his mind.

This memory was filled with sadness and desperation. The vision of an older and crazed woman carrying a gone was seen. She was searching for the angel. He knew he was to protect her. They ran. They ran as far and as fast as they could, but she eventually she found them. Shot were fired, smoke quickly filling the air.

The angel closed her eyes, releasing her hold on his hands, the look in her eyes telling him that she too could see the things he saw in his head.

Pyramid Head slowly stood up, reaching up and touching his helmet.

"How can I save you if you wont let me love?" She asked in the sweetest, most innocent voice she could conjure. "It wasn't your fault the gun was shot. It wasn't your fault the bullet shot through my heart." She pressed a hand to her chest, where he heart would be, and closed her eyes.

From his crouched position he could see the weariness in her eyes.

"Its hurts." She continued to say. "It hurts so very much my love."

He continued to look around, stopping when his gaze came on one of the stone pillars in the church. He lets out a roar and charges at the pillar, ramming into it, head-first.

Her breathing becomes slower and slower, her eye lids falling down. Harry's breath catches in his throat as he watches the poor girl slowly receding into death. Her time in this man made hell was up. Yet she continued to talk, using her energy.

She pulled her hand away, ruby droplets coating her hand as the pew suddenly began to fill with blood. A trickle of red fell past her lips and she smiled so softly. Just like when she died the first time.

"It...hurts..." her hand falls from her chest to the ground.

The sound of a bullet shell falling on the ground echoed through the room. Harry looked about in shock but found no evidence of a fire arm.

She blinks sleepily. "...So much..."

Pyramid Head keeps ramming his head against the pillar, soon cracks started to spread out on the helmet from where he was ramming his head. After several more severe ramming head butts, the helmet

shatters at the cracks, falling off him. He shakes his head, shaking off the remnants of the helmet. Then looks over at her, moving back to her side, taking hold of her hand with both his hands.

As metal met clanked with metal, a puddle of what used to be the infamous helmet of Pyramid Head, tears fall from the angel's face.

Harry remains motionless, finding it hard to breath. First he saw the shape of a skull, then a bundle of tangled and greasy hair. He shakes his head in disbelief. The man behind the mask was finally revealed. Bile rose from the pit of his stomach though he forced himself to keep it down. He turned to look at the angel.

She does not open her eyes.

She remained still, one arm fallen to the side as her life giving liquid spilled over the pew and pooled at Pyramid Head's feet.

Harry mutely gasped.

Pyramid Head reaches out and gently touches her face, gently shaking

her with his other hand.

For what seemed like an eternity, she did not move of her own accord. Already her chest had ceased all motion and her arm hung limply at her side. Her face, thought laced with sadness, looked peaceful. The hole in her chest was small but lethal, the evidence of her certain demise.

"Love..." It was soft, barely audible, but heard. She spoke gently but did not open her eyes. She was much too weak.

He pulls her against him, closing his eyes as he held her against him.

Her head fell back, her whole body now limp in his arms. Was she...did she... Harry silently cried. The wings on her back had begun to fall around them. A stray and foreign light shone through the broken stain-glass window above them, veiling him in rays of red and her in blue. Harry crawled out from his hidden position behind the tapestry and slowly approached them.

He continued to hold onto her tightly, his eyes shut tightly. When Harry got closer, his eyes open suddenly, then narrows as he looks at him.

Harry stopped, looking sadly down at Pyramid Head. Even though his helmet was a gone, he could not make out any contours of his face. He kept his gaze on the angel's face however and knelt down to Pyramid Head's level, as if addressing a child whom was about to have something precious to him taken away.

"She's gone." He said, the sound of his cracking voice reverberating off the walls of the church.

He holds her closer, slowly standing up. "No."

Harry raised a brow. He it wasn't that he didn't fear Pyramid Head, but with the absence of his helmet, he no longer felt as terrified. Of course he was still intimidating, that was for certain. He glanced at the angel in his arms and painfully noted the wound in her chest.

"But she is not breathing..." He spoke softly, explaining as calmly as he could. "...It went right through her heart." he looked around, sorrowfully gazing at the pool of blood beneath his feet. "There is too much blood loss..."

Another memory. A kind yet firm doctor was speaking of the girl's conditions to her remaining family members. He was hidden in the shadows, his tiny body quivering as he heard the doctor's final words on her condition. Nasty and hateful words bombarded his mind, calling him weak and selfish. He had been a coward, leaving her there to die when he ran away. Even now he was too scared to face them. Especially her.

Once no one is around he sneaks in to her room. She was lying quietly in the hospital bed, tubes running in and out of her body, sustaining her dwindling life. The pitter-patter of her weak heart rang flat on the heart monitor. He reached out to touch her hand to find it cold. He gasps as tears run down his face.

"I'm sorry..." The doctor said, appearing from behind him. He places a had atop the boy's shoulder and give him a squeeze.

Harry spoke after a moment of silence. "...I'm sorry. But she is gone."

"No! No. One. Take. Her. Away. Again!" He yelled out, slamming his one foot into the ground. Creating a small tremor and radiating cracks in the floor, where he slammed his foot at.

Harry stepped back but took steps forward to show he was not scared, or at least that terrified of him anymore. He shook his head. "Look at her... the wound...all the blood... You can't deny this, she's gone!"

The angel did not move or say a word. She lay crumbled in Pyramid Head's arms, her head falling against his chest as the single tear she had shed for him continued to fall.

He lets out another unearthly roar, then smashes through a weakened section of the church wall. Running into the fog with her.

Harry falls back, ducking beneath the blood pew to escape the falling rubble of stone and plaster. When he peeks out to see the extent of the damage, the angel and he were gone.


End file.
